June Fishing Is Finally Here!
Hello anglers from around the globe!!
June fishing has finally arrived!
The fishing has jumped this past week! We went from “nearly good” fishing last week to “finally, good” fishing this week. It’s exciting. Check out the photo: We have been seeing a lot of “release” fish this past week and it keeps getting better. When you catch nice walleye, northern, or panfish – take a photo and let it go. Save mid-sized fish for eating. Nice sized fish make for great photos not dinner.
The tough spot right now is the crappie fishing. Crappie are still in a post spawn/regrouping phase so they are tricky to find. The bright side to the crappie story is that when you do find some, they bite. Crappie, in my opinion are quite aggressive fish and when adequate presentations are applied they latch on. Try light jigs tipped with Gulp Fry and Gulp Minnows or Beetle Spins or even light bottom bouncers and spinners tipped with minnows or crawlers. Keep your jig sizes reasonable—1/32 oz. or 1/16 oz. Be careful to tip your jigs and lures with Gulp or Power Bait larger than 1.5 inches. Most anglers fail with crappie by using stuff that’s simply too big. Summer time crappie are more forgiving, but keep in mind their diet consists of smaller food than northern and walleye eat.
Sunfish continue to spawn around Otter Tail Lakes Country—they are last of our game-fish to spawn for the season. If you catch large colorful males in the next week or so please release them—the nest they guard depends on their protection. Walleye have come to life on many of Otter Tail Lakes Country’s prominent walleye waters. No need for minnows anymore either—worms and leeches will do. Live bait rigging with a size 4 or 6 hook and a 1/2 or 3/4 oz sliding weight system is a no-fail right now.
For northern—try trolling crank baits along weed edges near deep water or over the tops of cabbage stands. Pike are a lot of fun and hit a trolled bait with some punch so hold on tight. When I troll with my fishing guests, I have them hold their poles (no rod holders) so they get the feel of that stout strike, it’s very exciting!
Good luck fishing Otter Tail Lakes Country this week. Please be sure to drain and dry and inspect your boats, trailers and motors before entering a lake or after taking you boat out of a lake—lets stop the spread of invasive species—thank you.
Ross Hagemeister
